The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-08-17
PROHIBITION IN MAINE,

PROHIBITION IN MAINE.
A Traveller Finds tim. Liquor Ia Sold Openly
s.r- In the state. a,. .......|
Correspondence Philadelphia Press.
1t Deems rather stale to talk about pro-
hlbition in Maize. That subject gets 80
thoroughly overhauled during every poll
t'cal campaign and is mention 80 olton
that at fret thought 1t would seem hard
to add anything to the question. Yet, as
a matter ot fact, Names prohibition, in
its practical, everyday aspects, Is not
known to the public to any extent. Ultra
temperance workera produce figures to
show that there ara Tow II any saloons in
Maine, and that 1t is 80 hard to get drink
here that drunkenness Is practically an
unknown otlense. On the othar hand,
the anu-prohibitioniatu have produced
figures showing bow many saloons really
are in existence, showing the enormous
increase In prescriptions for spiritus
trumenli OF late years and the added mum.
her OF criminals IN the iaits and penitcn.
tiaries. Both sides err, while the hitter
ale moro nearly correct. 5sI AZ
It Is not noc1Rsaty to 90 to q drug store
for drink, because there are plenty of
acceeBihls bar-r0oms. 1t is practically rs
-asy to get a drink in Portland as it Is in
Philadelphia. There are screens to the
-aloon8, but not ecseena that deceive the
observer. Those who know tell me what
Ia true here IL true In all the lnrge towns
and in nine-tenths OF the villages through.
out the State, and l don't doubt it. There
was prominent Newarker in company
with MO when we arrived, and he pro-
posed, after rupper, That We teat for our.
selves the accuracy OF tho reports wo had
so often heard. We wero at leading
hotel, where is impossible to evads the
law openly, aud where q spy could walk
In anu SEQ I'll he wanted for detective
purposes in. two minutes. Yet no pre-
cAutions were taken. We were directed
10 the bsr-room at once and others were
bound thither without any directing.
They had been there before. The
bar was large and spacious, we'll
lighted, end with an exit directly
10 the leading thoroughfsfe Of the city.
The bottles we're displayed with all the
bsil!iaEcy Of the average saloon. A line
Of males wsre in front OF the bar dis.
poBing OF various beverages. No questions
Sere asked and no suspicious were mani-
tested. You got what you asked for and
40 bones were made about it. The man
n charge talked freely On the eubject. He
4aid nothing could suit the liquor men in
Maine better than the Prohibition law
They sold as openly aud freely as ever and
uad no license to pay. They got all the
oentiit Of freedom, while the State got
none Of the revenue from the restriction
hat license always produces. Others said
the came thing. You need not 10 block
aero in any direction before finding ga.
DON. Yet p1ohibi.ionist, whom I ran
scross this morning, nearly told nc 1 lied
when I aaid liquor was plentiful. He esid
! man couldn't buy drink here without
tesorting to the beaest subtertuee.
Iran down TO Old Orchard Beach itou
mere. 1t ia the Ocean Grove of Maine.
People in New Jeraey, who told me 80
much before LETT and knew 80 little, eaid
40 matter what tricks might be played in
Portland and the large cities, you couldn'.
get a drink st Old Orchard. Well, Rs a
newspaper man, about the fret thing in-
Teatigated WAS that statement. Walking
nto the lsrgeut and MOS. conspicuous
hotel an utter stranger, l asked QUO oil
me bell boys where tho bar.room wac.
tlo answered very promptly: Fourth
door TO your right, sir, down that CORR.
tor," ] went down the corridor to the
fourth door, opened it and found myaeli
n Il neat and natty bar, with all the para,
phenalia Of the profession in iull bloom
and tho regulation coterie Of imbibert
scattered around the room. That wasn'I
all. In the few minutes I was there
drinks Of various sorts, lemonade except
I'd, we're put on trays and conveyed pub.
.ic!y through the corridors and up-stairf
% the rooms oil guests. Old Orchard had
" the liquor it needed and it was bought
right and left without any concealment o,
pparant evasion. In fact, my precou
ceived notions about prohibition in Maine
sere annihilated inside OF an hour. J.
never have believed prohibition could
prohibit, but / really thought there was
'ome pretensa in that direction up here
but there isn't.
1t B a mighty good thing the manager!
u the Prohibition party never bring any
Of their converts to Maine and allow then
20 AJAX for the nearest saloon. II they die
hey would lose every mothers son Q
hem. 1t is all very nice to sit on cush
ioned eeat and hear rose.colored pictuy,
.bout the way prohibition prohibits il
Maine, and how all that Is needed t.
b0nish the bottle and the bar is to maxi
the Maine law national, but you musn'
lake too much for granted in this age. l
is apt TO give yon 8 worse than olectri
shock when you happen to come t,
Maine aud tumble against paloon in fnl
blast before you have learned the name o
the street you are on. y